How To Keep Your Rodents From Escaping?

• Rodents are escape artists extraordinaire. Many pet owners underestimate how crafted these rodents are. Those believed to be safe in their cages have been discovered wandering the roads or house, where they may be stepped on, run over and eaten by predators. Check on them regularly, or avoid leaving them unattended for long hours/days.
• Cage doors must be securely locked, not merely latched. The bars of the cage should be the narrowest possible. Hamsters may look roly-poly, but most of that bulk is all fur, easily compressed for squeezing between bars.
• Hamsters, mice, guinea pigs, chinchillas, and gerbils love to gnaw because their teeth are constantly growing. Always use cages made from metal or fiberglass that cannot be chewed through. Wood won’t hold them no matter how thick they are.

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Basics on Hamster Health

• Diarrhea: Bacterial infections or eating too many greens or fruits can result in diarrhea. Symptoms include brown stains and a wet bottom. The dehydration of diarrhea can kill, so add glucose to the drinking water and see the vet immediately.
• Heatstroke: Never leave a hamster in the hot sun as heatstroke can ensue. If you see symptoms like listlessness, lethargy and sudden collapse, remove your pet from the sun and cool it in an air conditioned room immediately.
• Respiratory problems: Hamsters can catch colds. When your pet starts sneezing, exhibiting labored breath or discharge from the nose, try to keep it warm and take it to the vet.
• Skin diseases: Bald patches can result from malnutrition, old age, or mites. If a bald patch appears scaly, irritated, and infected, consult a vet immediately. Possible factors include mange, mites or ringworm. However, hamsters have bald scent glands at the sides of their hips—don’t mistake these for bald patches!
• Wet tail: A highly contagious bacterial disease. Symptoms include severe diarrhea (wet tail), loss of appetite and bleeding from the rectum. Isolate the infected pet at once to prevent the disease from spreading and take it to a vet. Hamsters can die very quickly form this.

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• 9 Tips on Buying Small Pets

Breeds: There are quite a few hamster breeds. Dwarf breeds are popular as pets nowadays.

Lifespan: Two to three years.

Reproduction: Hamsters are ready to mate once every four days, so if you are not prepared to be overrun by more babies than you can handle, do not keep mature males and females in the same cage!

Gestation period: About 16 days. The young are born naked, blind, and helpless.

Care: Clean the cage at least once a week. Give food and fresh water daily. Hamsters’ incisors are continually growing, so provide a chewing block to keep teeth well trimmed.

Handling: Hamsters may bit if startled or mishandled. Approach gently and do not poke them with your finger!

Other habits: Hamsters love to store food in their cheek pouches, so do not be alarmed if their cheeks look swollen. They are nocturnal animals, preferring to sleep during the day and waking to play in the evening.

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• 9 Tips on Buying Small Pets
• Hamster: Dwarf Winter White Russian
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• Hamster: The Syrian
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• 5 Common Diseases Found In Hamster And Guinea Pig

Characteristics: According to the breed standard, Winter White hamsters are supposed to have an oval body shape, from 8cm to 10cm long. They should have a broad head, bright round eyes, small rounded ears and short furry legs.

Behavior: Usually calm and friendly, they are not prone to biting except when provoked or threatened. For this reason, Winter Whites generally make better pets for young children. But parents should make sure their children do not hurt the hamster.

Food: Although hamsters love sunflower seeds, it is unwise to feed them only these as they contain too much fat. An adequate diet comes from good-quality mixed hamster food (easily found in pet shop). Offer fresh fruit and vegetables like carrot and apple only as supplements, because large amounts can cause diarrhea. Please provide your hamster with a chewing block.

Colors: Winter Whites come in natural colors (gray-brown with brown-black dorsal stripe), Sapphire (blue-gray) or Pearl (white coat with gray-black tickings).

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• Basics On Hamster Characteristics
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• How To Prolong Hamster’s Lifespan?
• 5 Common Diseases Found In Hamster And Guinea Pig
• Runaway Pets: How To Keep Your Rodents From Escaping?

Although these tips are universal to buying any domestic pet, nonetheless it is still good to take note of them anywhere.

Take Note On These Tips When Buying Small Pets

1. Get an animal only if you are ready for the responsibility of pet ownership.
2. Learn about the animal you intend to keep from friends, books, and the Internet.
3. The breeder should be able to supply useful information about the animal. Don’t buy from casual “backyard” breeders. If possible, adopt one from your local shelter—not all are catered to abandoned dogs and cats. Unless you are looking for Iguana!
4. Overcrowded conditions (e.g. 10 rabbits in a small cage) promote the spread of diseases. View the animal’s current living conditions before you buy.
5. The animal should look active and alert, not skin and bones. There should be no visible bare patches or scabs on the skin or excessive discharge from eyes or nose.
6. Look out for fluid-like or mucous stools, which signal diarrhea.
7. Guinea pigs may have parasites like fur mites, which appear as small, dark specks on the fur—if you watch closely you’ll see them move!
8. Never buy underage animals. Pet stores are not allowed to sell rabbits below four weeks old or those smaller than six inches from head to tail. These animals still need their mothers’ milk and may die without it.
9. Don’t feel the pressure of buying the pet by shrewd sale tactics such as, “It’s a popular pet,” “It’s has unique marking,” “They sell like hotcake.” If you feel you’re being “pressured,” dismiss yourself from the pet store. Come back another day and see if you still have the same desire to own that pet.

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Diarrhea (wet tails in hamsters)

• Symptoms: Soft, watery or greenish mucous-like stools.
• Possible Causes: Sudden change in diet, too many greens, stress, antibiotics, infections bacteria, insufficient roughage in diet.
• Remedies: Stop all feeding of fresh greens. Give lots of hay. Make sure your hamster or guinea pig drinks more water as dehydration can kill. Consult a vet immediately in severe cases.

Malocclusions (overgrown teeth)

• Symptoms: Dental disorder involving excessive incisor growth. Occurs when incisors biting surfaces do not meet.
• Possible Causes: Calcium deficiency and hereditary factors.
• Remedy: Take your pet to the vet to have its teeth trimmed.

Scurvy (Vitamin C deficiency in guinea pigs)

• Symptoms: Muscle weakness, lethargy, loss of appetite, swollen limbs, weight loss, and discharge from eyes or nose.
• Possible Cause: A guinea pig requires about 10mg of Vitamin C per kilogram of body weight daily. Add Vitamin C supplements to its food or water.
• Remedy: Ensure adequate Vitamin C intake until condition returns to normal. It’d be best to take it to a vet first to confirm the possible cause and proper dosage.

Skin disorders

• Symptoms: Bald patches. Skin may be inflamed and scaly.
• Possible Causes: Wide range of possible factors, including ringworm.
• Remedy: Consult a vet to get a proper diagnosis.

Barbering (commonly in guinea pigs with excessive self-grooming behavior)

• Symptoms: Coat has a chewed, jagged, uneven appearance.
• Possible Causes: Boredom, hunger, or dirty cage.
• Remedies: Give your guinea pig more hay and chew toys, and change the bedding!

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• Facts About Guinea Pig
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• Hamster: The Syrian
• Runaway Pets: How To Keep Your Rodents From Escaping?

Characteristics: Syrian hamsters can grow to about 16cm long. Females are usually bigger than males. They look adorable, with big eyes and a stocky body with short legs. Life span: Two to three years.

Behavior: They are solitary animals. It is not advisable to house more than one in each cage, as they may fight. An excellent sense of smell makes up for their poor eyesight.

Care: Exercise is very important. Place a tread-wheel in the cage to keep your hamster fit! Syrian hamsters are generally meticulous animals who prefer to use only one or two corners of the cage as toilets. Put some litter sand in these corners to make cleaning easier. Restrict the amount of greens and fruits to prevent diarrhea. Do not feed them sunflower seeds alone, as these are not nutritious enough.

Colors: A wide variety of colors, marking, and patterns. The Syrian hamster’s original color is golden.

Related Topics

• 5 Common Diseases Found In Hamster And Guinea Pig
• 9 Tips on Buying Small Pets
• How To Prolong Hamster’s Lifespan?
• Hamster: Dwarf Winter White Russian
• Runaway Pets: How To Keep Your Rodents From Escaping?
• Basics On Hamster Characteristics